Birthday Greetings

 

Here I am, celebrating my birthday in London with my husband. Also with us are our three children, my mother, his mother and two sisters. The last three are visiting us for the first time after a long and complicated fight to get them visas to come here from Iraq. The authorities could not believe that they would want to return home again.

During the previous day we visited the London Eye for a magical birds-eye view of the city after a scenic route in to take in some of the sights. We then repaired to the Comedy Theatre to see Donkey's Years, a good British farcical comedy, and had a late supper in a restaurant just across the road.

The following day saw most of us drive up to Oxford Street. While the others explored Selfridges and other stores, I spent a blissful few hours in Liberty's, ending up in their Tea café for coffee and florentines. Then back to Mum's, and a meal in a local hostelry, before driving back home and a very late bed-time.

It was a very agreeable birthday indeed! 

A moment out of a hectic life

  

We are having a very busy summer, with visitors here for three or four weeks, and so time spent on the computer is somewhat antisocial and thus limited. However, something lovely happened yesterday, which I had to share. While shopping in the village, I bumped into Ann, the membership secretary of Bristol Embroiderers' Guild, who had booked to attend the workshop I ran last month, but was unfortunately forced to miss it due to her husband's ill health. Well, she had met a friend and fellow member at a Christening the previous weekend, and this friend was one of the people who was there. I was delighted to be told that said friend had brought along three items she had made following on from the workshop, adapting the techniques to other items. As I had told the participants that they wwere not allowed to take their items home and hide them away in a cupboard, but to complete them, I was and am very delighted to hear that at least one of them had heeded me!